Srinagar: Home Minister Rajnath Singh will on Monday meet Union Home Secretary to review security situation in jammu and Kashmir in view of repeated ceasefire violations by the Pakistan troops at the International Border.
According to reports, the Home Minister will meet the Home secretary at 11 am. Top officials of the Intelligence Bureau and the Border Security Force are also likely to attend the meeting.
The Ministry of External Affairs had on Sunday summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit and lodged a strong protest over continuous ceasefire violations at International Border.
MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, “MEA secretary East Anil Wadhwa had lodged a protest and conveyed our anger at the unprovoked firing by Pakistan troops since August 08. Particularly with regard to incidents of ceasefire violations in Poonch and Rajouri sectors that saw systematic targeting of our civilian population.”
“Anil Wadhwa has conveyed that the Pakistan government needed to take steps to ensure that its military does not undermine peace and tranquility along international boundary and the LOC,” ANI further quoted him.
Basit, while addressing the media, later passed the blame on India, stating, “We are concerned about ceasefire violations. In the months of July and August there have been close to 70 ceasefire violations from this side of the LoC and the working boundary. We are obviously concerned about it.”
"Our side would like to have a more effective mechanism in place as to determine who indulges in these unprovoked firing," Basit was quoted as saying by ANI.
With a 10-year old boy succumbing to his injuries overnight, the toll in Pakistan shelling in Jammu and Kashmir`s Poonch district rose to five on Sunday.
"10-year-old boy identified as Moin Khan succumbed to injuries late Saturday. With this, the toll in shelling over civilians in Balakote sector of the Poonch district has risen to five," a senior police official told IANS here.
"Four injured are still being treated in Government Medical College Hospital here. Doctors have described the condition of two as critical."
A shell fired towards civilians by Pakistan Army on Saturday hit a car in Balakote sector, killing three people.
Many civilians gathered at the site where the car was hit, when they were hit by a second shell fired from Pakistan, injuring more than 20 of them.
(With Agency inputs)
